To take this series of posts to an end, let’s discuss about smaller motorcycles…

Motorcycle Buying Guide Part 4 – Mopeds and Scooters

Smaller motorcycles include the likes of scooters and mopeds. They’re no where near as large or robust as cruisers, tourers, standard or dirt bikes, but they still belong to the motorcycle family.

These little guys are perfect for those who have no need to spend hours on the road or the desire to jump over dirt mounds. Some people just want to enjoy the open air on an easy to manipulate two-wheeler. So for those of you who are motorcycle-shy, you will enjoy how these bikes get you where you want to go while using minimum gas and avoiding parking hassles.

Mopeds (the name comes from the combination of “motor” and “pedals”) first appeared in the 50’s as bicycles equipped with engines. Nowadays most mopeds are not fit with pedals anymore and have a more solid frame and configuration than the one of a bicycle.

The most famous moped of all times is the Honda Super Cub. Just for the record, the Honda Super Cub is the biggest selling motorcycle of all times and is the model that propelled Honda to leading point in the motorcycle and car industry they are now at.

Scooters are two-wheeled vehicles with a step-through frame and smaller wheels than the ones you find in standard motorcycles. Their frame and configuration make them ideal candidates for anyone who has or anticipates trouble getting off or on a traditional motorcycle.

Engine sizes range between 50 – 150cc on mopeds and between 50cc and 650cc on scooters. Scooters are normally heavier and faster than mopeds. Don’t be fooled by the small sizes of some mopeds and scooters however. Both have enough horsepower to suit almost anyone’s needs – even those who live in travel challenged cities like San Francisco for example -.

Scooters usually weigh in at no more than 220lbs (100kg) while mopeds weigh in on the lower end of the scale. The light size makes both types of bikes easy to maneuver, even with the engine turned off, and it also makes gas mileage extremely cheap. How does 70 miles to the gallon sound to you? Some even have electric motors!

Now, have in mind that neither of these bikes is appropriate for long distance travel. They’re better suited for short trips around town.

Does their small size compromise comfort? Not in the slightest. Both bikes are built with comfort in mind and their wide, plush seats and fairing do their best to protect you from road feel or wind.

Since most mopeds and scooters have accessories that are built in (unlike those that are often extra on standard bikes), you can find good-sized containers in the rear, electric starters up front, and automatic gear boxes in the middle.

You can expect to pay $1,000 – $2,000 at the most for a moped with the works and between $2,000 for the lower end to $8,000 for top of the line scooters.

Scooters and mopeds are cute alternatives to full-blown cycling machines and they’ll quickly satisfy the need for just getting around town in comfort and style.

If you are interested in reading more about mopeds and scooters you can check the following pages:

Well, with this post I finish this series about the different kind of motorcycles you can buy. Hopefully this information will somehow help you to take the right decision when looking into buying a motorcycle.

Do you have something to add? Leave you comments in this post.

Enjoy the ride!

Rider
WorldWideMotorcycles.com

P.S. I intentionally left out some rarer machines as trial bikes, supermoto motorcycles and mini or pocket bikes. I will talk about these in the future.